Strange New Worlds season 2 - SPOILERS

[Benjamin Olson]

Bonus points for taking place in Canada!

I have no skin in the Canada game. But given that the show is shot in Toronto metro area, and the standard thing would be to do this episode on location in the Toronto area and have it stand in for New York (or possibly some other American city), I really appreciated the "Kirk thinks it's New York but it's actually Toronto" joke.

The presence of a chess hustling subplot makes me think the plan was probably to shoot Toronto as New York at some point, as "street chess for money" is very strongly associated with said American city. I think my silliest gripe with the episode would be that, as presented, that looked like way too friendly and casual a street chess scene to make the sort of money they needed off of (whether any chess for money could is questionable, but I would atticipate it involves hustling, hustlers, not having some happy smiling "oh I guess you checkmated-ed me" matches).

Of course the need to make all things happen in the U S of A, awkwardly reasserted itself when the writers put Pelia in Vermont, requiring that our protagonists made two off-camera border crossings with no ID, presumably in their stolen car, with very limited knowledge about the time and place, all funded by their chess winnings.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Why not just have Pelia somewhere in Canada? It's not like it's not horribly contrived anyway. Maybe they could have gone to an interesting bit. A country that size can't possibly all be boring.

 

[MarkB]

It's nice to see that the TVA is still alive and well.

 

[Morrus]

I quite liked it. STIV is still the best Trek time travel thing, but I liked this more than Picard s2. The fish out of water elements seem very glossed over though--I feel like they manage too easily. I guess they're used to being on strange new worlds, though, so maybe this is easy mode for them?

 

[Ryujin]

I really enjoyed the 3rd episode. I have a soft spot for Trek time travel tales (except Picard Season2.) There was chemistry between the actors and I felt Kirk was portrayed very well. Bonus points for taking place in Canada!

I've been counting the places that I've been to, that they've been to

EDIT - Finally able to watch it now and the place they arrive is Yonge-Dundas Square, which is a 2 minute walk from my desk at work. OK, it's technically an alley near where I work and they go to Y-D Square.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Of course the need to make all things happen in the U S of A, awkwardly reasserted itself when the writers put Pelia in Vermont, requiring that our protagonists made two off-camera border crossings with no ID, presumably in their stolen car, with very limited knowledge about the time and place, all funded by their chess winnings.

Yeah that was such a random and unnecessary writing decision. Like, I was wondering if we'd previous established she was in Vermont in the 21st century, but no, apparently not. I suspect it confirms ideas that originally this episode was set in NYC (esp. as it's about equidistant from Vermont and Toronto). Especially the border crossings - even the 1970s I know people who got busted for crossing the US/Canadian border illegally (my parents among them lol).

Fun to see the main lady from Reign pop up as the inevitable Romulan spy (and could be reused in future as a Romulan of course).

The watch thing was extremely implausible - I mean, yes, that's how they work, but they only because the beta particles are like, immediately hitting the phosphor. If that "cold fusion" plant was slamming enough beta particles into the atmosphere that it would cause that, well, it seems like that would be a major radiation leak (true radiation experts please correct me if wrong). But it's fine really, because it was at least science-like and they didn't try to make a moral point with it or anything.

Talking of moral points they did make one - "Don't kill baby Hitler, you don't know what will happen!", which I largely agree with, I have to say. I'm not sure you'd even prevent the holocaust though you might change its form. Even if you did stop that one, anti-Semitism likely remains socially acceptable worldwide, eugenics continues to be well-regarded as a science/social principle (WW2 damaged it hugely but it kept going due to sheer momentum up into the 1970s), and let's not even get started on all the possible atomic wars you could have in the 1950s and 1960s and so on.

It was kind of a slow, talk-y episode, but like, imho that's a good thing. It's good to let characters actually breathe. More talk less action is my Star Trek motto!

Re: fish out of water, I appreciated that they played that down, because it's been done so many times by so many shows, including Trek many times.

 

[Ruin Explorer]

Evoking the future? We don't get to the time travel until Episode 3, you know.

Argument of popularity among people who haven't even been born yet seems a pretty hollow argument.

I mean, I was thinking more when the episode is discussed 10-20 years from now than 50-100 years from now, to be honest lol. So people who by and large have been born. I'm thinking more about various Trek reddits and how episodes and movies people thought were cool in the 1990s or '00s seemed pretty lame or even bad by the 2010s or 2020s. But for sure it's a weak argument, it's not even really an argument at all, just a statement of belief. I feel like it was "obvious" (hate-quoting myself here lol) that a few things in TNG and DS9 for example weren't going to age well at all. But what's "obvious" to me may turn out to be nonsense of course lol. Also stuff can circle around and become so ridiculous and laughable that people start liking it again (c.f. TNG and Beverly's sex ghost).

 

[Ryujin]

Yeah that was such a random and unnecessary writing decision. Like, I was wondering if we'd previous established she was in Vermont in the 21st century, but no, apparently not. I suspect it confirms ideas that originally this episode was set in NYC (esp. as it's about equidistant from Vermont and Toronto). Especially the border crossings - even the 1970s I know people who got busted for crossing the US/Canadian border illegally (my parents among them lol).

Fun to see the main lady from Reign pop up as the inevitable Romulan spy (and could be reused in future as a Romulan of course).

The watch thing was extremely implausible - I mean, yes, that's how they work, but they only because the beta particles are like, immediately hitting the phosphor. If that "cold fusion" plant was slamming enough beta particles into the atmosphere that it would cause that, well, it seems like that would be a major radiation leak (true radiation experts please correct me if wrong). But it's fine really, because it was at least science-like and they didn't try to make a moral point with it or anything.

Talking of moral points they did make one - "Don't kill baby Hitler, you don't know what will happen!", which I largely agree with, I have to say. I'm not sure you'd even prevent the holocaust though you might change its form. Even if you did stop that one, anti-Semitism likely remains socially acceptable worldwide, eugenics continues to be well-regarded as a science/social principle (WW2 damaged it hugely but it kept going due to sheer momentum up into the 1970s), and let's not even get started on all the possible atomic wars you could have in the 1950s and 1960s and so on.

It was kind of a slow, talk-y episode, but like, imho that's a good thing. It's good to let characters actually breathe. More talk less action is my Star Trek motto!

Re: fish out of water, I appreciated that they played that down, because it's been done so many times by so many shows, including Trek many times.

La'an did mention dodging border security but I have been able to cross at land crossings, without so much as showing a driver's license. Currently, having people cross illegally and then turn themselves in is a major issue, especially in Quebec. And there are reserves in Quebec and Ontario that straddle the border, that aren't "official" border crossings.

 

[Arilyn]

I have no skin in the Canada game. But given that the show is shot in Toronto metro area, and the standard thing would be to do this episode on location in the Toronto area and have it stand in for New York (or possibly some other American city), I really appreciated the "Kirk thinks it's New York but it's actually Toronto" joke.

The presence of a chess hustling subplot makes me think the plan was probably to shoot Toronto as New York at some point, as "street chess for money" is very strongly associated with said American city. I think my silliest gripe with the episode would be that, as presented, that looked like way too friendly and casual a street chess scene to make the sort of money they needed off of (whether any chess for money could is questionable, but I would atticipate it involves hustling, hustlers, not having some happy smiling "oh I guess you checkmated-ed me" matches).

Of course the need to make all things happen in the U S of A, awkwardly reasserted itself when the writers put Pelia in Vermont, requiring that our protagonists made two off-camera border crossings with no ID, presumably in their stolen car, with very limited knowledge about the time and place, all funded by their chess winnings.

Yes, it's all very silly. But time travel! Fun characters that draw me in. And a poignant ending. This is Star Trek. I'm not sure being more realistic would help the show much. Do agree that Pelia living in Canada would have been a better and easier choice.

 

[Mallus]

This is Star Trek. I'm not sure being more realistic would help the show much. Do agree that Pelia living in Canada would have been a better and easier choice.

I don't think a show that takes its cues from the original Star Trek needs added realism, either. Would a more realistic take on Chicago gangsters have improved "A Piece of the Action"?

Re: Vermont - I think that was meant to emphasize how the better, promised (and threatened) future is a world without borders (on Earth, as it is in the Federation...).